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A nursing home in Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York has seen a major uptick in coronavirus deaths. According to a report from NY1, 98 residents of the Isabella Geriatric Center have died from COVID-19.
Despite New York seeing a flattening of the curve in coronavirus cases, the deaths at the 705-bed nursing home mark the largest cluster of coronavirus-related deaths in the state.
The center plans to hold a memorial service for the deceased when public health officials deem conditions are safe. Isabella Geriatric Center had previously not disclosed the total numbers of death at the facility.
“The numbers that will be announced over the next few days about COVID-related deaths at Isabella will be disturbing,” the nursing home’s official website reads.
“As you know, Isabella has been following state and federal guidelines for infection control, which so far have helped contain the virus. Unfortunately, nursing homes in New York City have not been given access to widespread and consistent in-house testing to quickly diagnose our residents and staff. Sadly, this has hampered our ability to further limit loss of life by swiftly separating anyone with the virus.”
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The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 63,700 deaths in the United States and more than 1 million confirmed cases — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
